8 posts categorized "Health care costs"

May 26, 2009

"We estimate we can cut the average family's premium by about $2,500 per year," Barack Obama said in the final presidential debate last year, before being elected to the nation's highest office.

He was referring to his health reform proposals and how they would reduce health insurance costs for Americans.

It seems a pretty straightforward promise but it's not. In health care, when experts talk about saving money they don't mean what ordinary folks mean.

When you and I say we'll save money, we mean we won't spend as much. When health care experts say they'll save money, they mean they'll spend more -- but not as much as originally planned.

An example might help make this more understandable. Say, health care costs are expected to rise 5 percent annually. Say, I'm a Washington politician and I propose policies that will reduce annual spending increases to 3 percent. Then, the way things currently work, I can claim enormous health care savings -- even when the budget is still rising.

April 16, 2009

In this economy, it's worth knowing about free care being offered in the Chicago area.

So, here's a tip: the University of Illinois at Chicago will provide oral cancer screenings at no charge to anyone who wants them on April 28 between 1:30 and 3:30 pm.

If you've got any of the symptoms listed below, you may want to arrange for an appointment (contact Mary Pat Califano at mcalifan@uic.edu) or just show up and ask to be seen by a doctor. (Go to the first floor of the UIC College of Dentistry at 801 S. Paulina St., Chicago.)

Symptoms of oral cancer can include "a sore in the mouth that does not heal or that increases in size; persistent mouth pain; lumps or white, red or dark patches inside the mouth; thickening of the cheek; difficulty chewing or swallowing or moving the tongue; pain around, or loosening of, the teeth; and a lump in the neck," according to a statement from UIC.

About 10 clinicians will be performing exams and can make referrals for follow up care if needed, said Sam Hostettler, a UIC spokesman.

Who's at risk of oral cancer? People who smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol and, increasingly, young adults who get cancer-causing human papillomarivus (HPV) infections from oral sex, according to Dt. Antonia Kolokythas, assistant professor of oral surgery at UIC. (Oral sex is believed to be responsible for an uptick in cancers of the tonsil or base of the tongue in young adults who don't smoke.)

Nearly 35,000 cases of oral cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. last year and 7,500 Americans died from oral, head and neck cancers.

March 30, 2009

Wouldn’t it be nice to know the “fair price” for a medical test or procedure recommended by your doctor, especially if you have to pay the bill?

A new Web site, www.healthcarebluebook.com, promises to deliver the information by ZIP code to consumers across the country. The prices listed are less than the amount billed by a medical provider (the sticker price) but more than the amount the most insurers pay.

I tried out the site today using a ZIP code in Evanston (60202) and found parts of it interesting and useful. However, other parts are thin and some elements are troubling.

On the interesting side, I learned what various kinds of eye exams would cost when I clicked on the “Physician” button and then asked for “office” information. The quote for an exam for a new patient was $262, compared with $133 for an exam for an existing patient with a moderate problem.

February 27, 2009

Over dinner, her 60-something mother confessed. Since she’d lost her job in real estate and didn’t have health insurance, she wasn’t going to have a mammogram this year.

“Like hell you won’t,” Dr. Leslie Ramirez blurted out at the table.

Ramirez, 42, knew there were options for her mom, places where it would be cheaper to have the screening test; she just didn’t know where. But she decided to find out.

Six months later, you can see what Ramirez discovered at www.leslieslist.org, a new Web site devoted to helping Chicagoans who are uninsured or underinsured and pay substantial amounts out of pocket for medical care.

The scoop on screening mammograms, according to the site: Our Lady of Resurrection Medical Center charges $68 for the test, compared with a $400 charge from Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

November 14, 2008

Six months ago, Staci Wood looked at her family budget and decided she had to trim mounting medical expenses.

Cutting back on care wasn’t an option because Wood and her 6-year-old son, Cooper, have Type 1 diabetes and require constant monitoring.

Instead, this 39-year-old mom looked for ways to get lower-cost supplies and help paying for medical tests and doctors’ visits.

Even for families with good health insurance – Wood and her family have policies from Blue Cross and Blue Shield -- diabetes is an expensive illness. In difficult economic times, the cost of care regimens can seem excessive.

Every day, Wood and her son prick their fingers 10 to 12 times, testing their blood sugar. The testing strips alone cost about $7,200 a year for mom and son. (Insurance covers 80 percent of the cost; the family is responsible for the remaining 20 percent. This is true of the items listed below as well.)

Then there are the insulin pumps, the medication that goes into them and other supplies that make them work. That’s another $7,800.

Even pricier are the doctors’ visits every three months to make sure Staci and Cooper are keeping their blood sugar under control, with accompanying lab tests. That comes to almost $14,000 a year. Add another $2,000 for two yearly eye exams.

Determined to economize, Staci began clipping coupons for supplies from diabetes magazines and searching the Internet for pharmacies that sell testing strips at deeply discounted prices.

She visited health fairs – three so far this year – where she says she walked away with “a bag stuffed with items vendors were handing out.” Last week, she asked her doctor if he had a new glucose meter available – and he handed her one for free.

October 24, 2008

The Chicago Tribune has written, as have other papers, about consumers cutting back on medical care in this turbulent economy.

Some high-ticket, elective items are no longer an option for people, including plastic surgeries, regular visits to to medical spas, and extended psychotherapy, among others.

Less high-profile services are being jettisoned as well. Dental care that isn't urgent is being delayed. In some cases, people are putting off going to the doctor. Other are considering stopping medications they can't afford.

The trick, of course, is for people to get the care they need while not breaking their budgets. But how?

Consumer Reports has assembled some helpful ideas in a 10-part "health care savings blog series" at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org. Take a look and see if they work for you or your family.

Here's a brief description of what this well-respected consumer organization recommends:

October 13, 2008

If you think the financial bailout is expensive, consider how much the U.S. wastes on unnecessary medical care each year. This Christian Science Monitor article by Dr. Arthur Garson Jr., executive vice president at the University of Virginia's School of Medicine, is an eye-opener.

"Seven hundred billion – sound familiar? Yes, that's the cost of the financial-services industry bailout, but it's also about the amount of money America is wasting every year on unnecessary healthcare expenses.

If we could take the steps needed to save that $700 billion, we could take "just" $100 billion to cover the uninsured and have $600 billion left over for Wall Street.

Here's the math: Our current healthcare spending is approximately $2.1 trillion (that's up from $1.3 trillion noninflation adjusted in 2000). We waste an estimated one-third – or about $700 billion – on unnecessary procedures, unnecessary visits to the doctor, overpriced pharmaceuticals, bloated insurance companies, and the most inefficient paper billing systems imaginable.

Saving that wasted money can begin with you and me. Medical experts say that 40 percent of our life expectancy can be attributed to lifestyle. We spend about $100 billion per year on costs related to obesity alone.

April 29, 2008

Ouch! There’s more news today about how the rising cost of health care is hurting us all.

Slightly more than 1 in 4 Americans (28 percent) report that the recent economic downturn has caused "serious problems" paying for medical care and insurance, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a California policy group.

It’s the third most frequent type of problem people are encountering, behind problems paying for gas (44 percent) and getting a raise or a good paying job (29 percent).

About this blog

Getting the medical care you need isn't easy. Resources can be hard to find. Weighing the costs and benefits of proposed interventions can be difficult. Choosing a doctor or a hospital, negotiating with your insurer, staying on top of treatment trends, getting the best care possible -- all these can be nerve-wracking. This blog will bring you useful information, connect you with important resources and highlight the stories of other people like you.